Cloth menstrual pads??

**Lady_V** · 08-30-2006, 11:09 AM

This one is for the female members (sorry guys, but if you use them, I -really- don't want to know....

A friend of mine had been bragging about her cotton pads and had been trying to get me to use them for years. At the time, they assumed that women size 6 and 26 could wear the same size... um... okay

I was on ebay (don't tell DF... I'll pay you in chocolate coins!!!) when I stumbled across stores that were selling them. Expensive buggers!

I have a sewing machine, they don't look all that hard to make at all, and I even found some sites that had free patterns for everysize (pre-teen to one I swear was the mattress but was labeled 'overnight').

Before I tear out the material bag again and add cloth menstrual pads to my 'to sew' list... anyone have these? tried these? make these?

**MarshHen** · 08-30-2006, 01:14 PM

I was fixed 10 years ago, so to my great relief, I don't need them anymore. To be honest with you though, I didn't know cloth ones existed.

**QuilterMom** · 08-30-2006, 07:38 PM

I know some ladies here at FV have mentioned in the past making these. Hopefully they'll see this thread.

**kettel6** · 08-30-2006, 07:44 PM

Go over to craftser.org There is a thread that is about 50 pages long about how to make them with people giving their ideas, etc. I have wanted to make them for years but never have. I use sea sponges.

**KatieInLa2** · 08-30-2006, 08:43 PM

Craftster has some very good tutorials to make them. I think they are more comfortable than disposables.

**Goodwin17** · 08-30-2006, 09:43 PM

I bought some recently from a company called TLC. They were cheaper than some of the others I had seen online. Although I don't have my period that often (I take continuous birth control to control the pain I have from endometriosis), I really wanted to get these. I haven't tried them yet. I just feel pads are so expensive, and create such waste. I have heard about people making their own. I've noticed Luna Pads have a zigzag stitch around the edges (made with a serger I think). The ones I bought are mostly made from flannel material, but I got a couple of pantiliners made with calico type fabric to make it not so hot. HTH.

**Mumzy** · 08-30-2006, 10:25 PM

Originally Posted by kettel6

I use sea sponges.

Hold on you have to start another thread and educate us on this one. Never heard of using sea sponges!

**ktsmama** · 08-30-2006, 11:34 PM

Originally Posted by Mumzy

Hold on you have to start another thread and educate us on this one. Never heard of using sea sponges!

Yes, please enlighten us!

**kettel6** · 08-31-2006, 08:33 AM

Well you can look around online and find them everywhere just like the cloth pads. I think that the "brand name" of one type is Sea Pearls. Honestly I bought mine at a craft store (Michaels and Hobby Lobby). I looked for ones that didn't have really big holes in them and are about the size of a golf ball or a little big. I wash mine in a lingerie bag in the machine when I'm finished with them for that month. You should also boil them to sterlize them before you use them and maybe after each cycle.

You can not be squimish about using them. You wet them then insert, just like using a makeup sponge (obvisiouly you don't insert a makeup sponge but you know what I mean). You have to be willing to "insert" and "remove" then you just rinse them out at the sink and reinsert when they need to be changed. I have three but usually only use one per cycle. Just rinse and reuse it. They do need to be replaced every few months but still it is more cost effective for me than buying tampons and liners. Plus you don't have that string hanging or the waste from the tampon papers, etc. I would always have to use the restroom more often than I would have to change a regular tampon so a lot of them were wasted. With these you can not even tell you are using anything, so to speak. They are not full proof. I still wear a pantiliner and have only had a couple of accidents but I wear a liner all the time anyway. I believe it came up in the craftser thread and some people were even thinking of way to make cloth tampons. I guess it would be comparable to using the Diva Cup in a way.

**QuilterMom** · 08-31-2006, 09:12 AM

Originally Posted by Mumzy

Hold on you have to start another thread and educate us on this one. Never heard of using sea sponges!

I know this has been talked about in the past on FV, but I can't find the thread using the search feature. Here's some info though........

http://www.jadeandpearl.com/catalog/sea_pearls_why.php

http://www.jadeandpearl.com/catalog/sea_pearls_how.php

http://www.jadeandpearl.com/catalog/sea_pearls_faq.php

**celina** · 08-31-2006, 09:37 AM

**Renee-2kids** · 08-31-2006, 11:32 PM

I use cloth pads. I bought them on eBay because I was to lazy to make them. I don't always use them if I'm going to be out of the house a long time, then I use a tampon. But I'm a SAHM, so it's usually not a problem.